Happy Birthday, to my dear sister, Teresa!

"She whom we love and lose is no longer where she was before. She is wherever we are."

St. John Chrysostom

May 19th, 1972

This is my sister, Teresa. This was her last birthday cake, as she passed on before her tenth birthday! I have fond memories of this wonderful, little angel. She was perhaps the kindest, most generous sister a sibling could ask for. We shared lots of things.... puppies, birthdays, special Christmases, cousins, parades with our baton's down the middle of the road, mud pies, barbies, baby dolls, school bus rides, coughing, taking pills, doctors, mist tents, soap stones, clothes, drinks, toboggan rides, bike rides, mittens and scarves, friends, appreciating the Falls where we grew up and more.
Teresa was a beautiful spirit that went way too soon. Everyone loved her. She loved everyone. I was just the baby sister and she was MY big sister. Cystic Fibrosis is a cruel disease, taking children way too young to die. She went ahead of me to protect me and meet me when it's my time. She is surrounded with love by my great grammy, both of my grandmother's, my dad and Aunt KK now. It will be wonderful to see her again, when the time comes. I know she is waiting and what a solace that is for me. On this day, May 19th, 2010.... Teresa's birthday, she would have been 47 years old. What would she have been like? How would her features still remain from that as the little girl we once knew? Someone once told me that she thought Teresa would look like Jodie Foster or Susan Sarandon when she grew up! She had "Bette Davis Eyes". I know she would have been the loving, incredible person like she was when we were little. If only I had known.....
Teresa had her own ideas of art and love. When I was only 5 or 6 she had me "pose" for my portrait that she drew.... for the most part, it was a stick figure, with features such as my big, brown eyes and red, curly hair... but what MADE the portrait was she used my actual hands to trace around for the hands on the stick figure. Too funny! The portrait was HUGE.... and when she was done... my mom framed it and put it on the wall in my grandmother's house where we spent a good share of our time growing up. It was in Hadley, overlooking Rockwell Falls.... a house with 26 rooms and a zillion places to hide while playing hide-and-go-seek, "Spin around till you all FALL DOWN", a scary, yet homey homestead with a ominous smell, a kerosene stove in the middle of the room to keep warm, a fireplace in the kitchen complete with a dutch oven where they use to bake bread. We'd hide in the "corner cupboard" that was shaped into a triangle that hugged the wall and us. I am still amazed that we fit in there.... and the mitten cupboard... thinking that "they will never find us in here".
This was Teresa's last school photo. What a doll! The fourth graders in her class were so loving and gracious. A good majority of them came to her funeral. It's a hard thing for a child of that age to have to deal with that, but they all loved her. She was MEANT to be loved.....
Here we are... chatting after the "morning coffee", you know, discussing what Saturday morning cartoons we would watch or who was going to get the "funny page" first.... We had some really heavy discussions on that porch. Blitzen, my grandma's Shepherd mix, would come bounding around the corner... realizing that we were out there and just about knock us over with kisses. I think Teresa was actually talking to Grandma's plant at this moment the photo was taken. She always had a way with just about everyone--everything!
For some reason, on this "School Picture Day", Teresa decided that "the thing to do" was to wear her winter coat for the photo.... Perhaps it was 'cause she didn't like her hair that day, or just that she thought the coat would make her look exotic in some way. She definitely had a mind of her own with years so much older than what she actually was. CF kinda makes you grow up fast! I was just missing her and wanted to pay tribute to my dear sister today! I will light a candle and say a prayer, sing a little happy birthday to "someone who hears me". I will drink a toast making a "milk mustache" in her honor, sing "Sunshine on My Shoulders" for her and have a piece of Birthday cake to CELEBRATE her LIFE!

So many years ago, your fight ended. So many years ago, you took in your last pained breath. So many years ago, the Lord called you home. So many years ago, your mother held you for the last time. And just yesterday, it seems, a little girl lost her big sister... I miss you, Twiggy!